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The bodies of a mother aged 34 and her young daughter, 10 have been located inside freezers in an flat in the western part of Austria.

The deceased, a Syrian woman and her child, who had been missing for a number of months, were detected on the end of last week. The freezers were hidden behind a false wall in the apartment, located in the Innsbruck area.

A pair of males, a Austrian man, 55 and his 53-year-old brother, were taken into custody in June. The elder brother, a colleague of the female victim, stated to law enforcement last week that there had been an incident—but disputed intentional killing.

Speaking to journalists recently, a official for the state prosecutor said the two suspects were being held on "strong suspicion of intentional killing".

Personal details of those involved have been withheld by authorities, in accordance with local legislation.

Their going missing was initially flagged by the cousin of the mother, who resides in Germany, on July 25, 2024.

Authorities stated the woman's colleague claimed at the time she had gone on an prolonged visit with her child to travel to her relatives in Turkey.

The mother's debit card was then discovered to be utilized in foreign locations repeatedly.

However when police searched the victim's residence, her smartphone was located.

Someone also claimed hearing a disturbing sound in the apartment, and cries of "mother" on the date the mother and child were presumed to have gone missing.

An expanded police investigation was started, with authorities finding several texts transmitted via the mother's device—including a resignation letter to her employer and texts to the male associate.

Officials confirmed a four-figure sum was also moved to the individual.

A senior police official informed media representatives on Tuesday that a rented space had been secured before the victims' disappearance and a freezer had been installed within.

The brothers removed the appliance from the facility on the date the woman and her child went missing, Tersch stated. And a week later, they obtained an additional appliance.

Investigators say they believe this indicates the demise were premeditated.

"The cause of death remains unclear due to the advanced decay of the victims," she said.

A legal representative—of the public prosecutor's office—noted the specific order of occurrences is not yet known, but the victims were carefully placed and not discovered during a earlier inspection.

Although the suspects were detained in June, it was only on 12 November that the 55-year-old admitted to an event and to storing the victims. He denies any intent to kill, officials confirmed.

At the same time, his brother confessed to a cover-up but denied involvement in a killing.

The pair are presently in pre-trial detention in jails in separate locations, around 117 miles (189km) apart.

In a joint statement, the nation's official for women's affairs and the top legal representative stated the "alleged double murder... represents the sudden and brutal end of two individuals and uncovers a cruel system".

"Female individuals are being killed due to the sole reason that they are female," they continued.

"Gender-based killings are a profoundly embedded and issue affecting all of society that we must combat firmly."